Mullins added various construction projects happening downtown during the summer could affect the local economy more than usual, but Nolan Ruffing, manager at P.T. O’Malley’s, 210 Abbot Road, said the bar actually sees more energy in the off months.

“It’s actually a little bit more exciting on weekdays because students have more time to make money with a summer job and no classes (and) they can come out (more often),” he said. “It’s still a party city Thursday through Saturday.”

Down the road at Crunchy’s, 254 W. Grand River Ave., manager Mike Krueger said there is a definite drop off in the late-night bar scene, but the restaurant makes up for it during normal lunch hours.

“I think a lot of the locals in the area stay away during the school year because we have a reputation as being a student bar,” he said.

During the summer, the City of East Lansing hosts a variety of events, including the East Lansing Art Festival and the Great Lakes Folk Festival. Mullins said those events typically will help local ventures boost their sales, but it doesn’t completely make up for the steady traffic the city sees when classes are in session.

Mike Wylie, an assistant manager at Student Book Store, 421 E. Grand River Ave., said in his time living in the city, East Lansing is far more vibrant in recent summers than it has been in the past.

“It doesn’t go as dead as people think it does,” he said. “We’re certainly far less busy than we are during the fall, but it’s not a blank slate.”

He added that Student Book Store typically does need to step back its hiring process a bit during the summer to make up for less traffic, but other than that, the store does not need a strategy in place to help weather the storm.

“There’s some activity that goes on down here,” Wylie said. “The whole town doesn’t just fold like a tent.”